Morales back in Bolivia after plane drama over Snowden

Bolivia's President Evo Morales (center) holds a statue of indigenous hero Tupac Katari after his arrival at the El Alto Airport in La Paz, Bolivia, on Wednesday. David Mercado / Reuters

Bolivian President Evo Morales came home to a hero's welcome late on Wednesday, saying some European countries' refusal to let his plane enter their airspace because of suspicion it carried fugitive US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden was a provocation aimed at all of South America.

Morales was greeted by his Cabinet and cheering, fist-pumping crowds at the airport in La Paz.

Returning from Moscow, the jet had been forced to land in Vienna, Austria, after several European nations denied it overfly rights, an incident that sparked a diplomatic row and was likened by Morales to a "13-hour kidnapping".

"This was an open provocation toward a continent, not just a president," Morales said, his hair strewn with flower petals thrown by people in traditional Andean garb. "North American imperialism uses its people to terrify and intimidate us. I just want to say they will never frighten us because we are a people of dignity and sovereignty."

"Some countries of Europe have to free themselves from the US empire," Morales told his supporters at the airport.

Bolivian officials said France, Italy, Spain and Portugal initially denied his plane the right to fly through their airspace late on Tuesday amid concerns that Snowden was aboard.

Bolivia has accused Washington of pressuring European countries to keep him from traveling home over the groundless rumors.

Other Latin American leaders were also fuming over the incident, with heads of state in the 12-nation South American bloc Unasur denouncing the "unfriendly and unjustifiable acts".

The bloc said a group of leaders from member countries were scheduled to hold an emergency summit in Bolivia on Thursday to discuss the matter. Unasur includes Bolivia's close allies Venezuela, Ecuador and Argentina as well as more centrist governments such as those in Chile and Brazil.

Earlier on Wednesday, Bolivia accused the United States of trying to "kidnap" Morales after his plane was denied permission to fly over France and Portugal.

The Bolivian government said it had filed a formal complaint with the United Nations and was studying other legal avenues to prove its rights had been violated under international law.

'White House order'

Bolivia's ambassador to the UN, Sacha Llorenti Soliz, said, "We have no doubt that it was an order from the White House. By no means should a diplomatic plane with the president be diverted from its route and forced to land in another country."

The White House declined to comment on the Bolivian allegations.

Snowden was not on the plane when it landed in Vienna, an Austrian official said. He is believed to be stranded in the transit lounge of a Moscow airport, and the US has been trying to get its hands on him since he revealed details of its secret surveillance programs last month.

The furor was the latest twist in a saga that has raised debate over the balance between privacy rights and national security. Accusations of US surveillance on European countries have also strained transatlantic relations.

The Bolivian plane was taking Morales home from an energy conference in Moscow when it landed at Vienna Airport. Austrian Deputy Chancellor Michael Spindelegger said Morales personally denied that Snowden was aboard his jet and agreed to a voluntary inspection.

"Based on this invitation from Bolivia, a colleague boarded the plane, looked at everything and there was no one else on board," Spindelegger told reporters.

But Bolivian Defense Minister Ruben Saavedra said Morales' plane was not searched because Morales had refused Austrian authorities' entry.

Morales' plane eventually left Vienna and landed in Spain's Canary Islands for refueling before heading back to Bolivia.

Reuters-AFP

(China Daily 07/05/2013 page11)